Hello

My name is Anne and I am 15 years old. I have been very interested in cephalopods for almost 6 years now, but have spent the last year running reef tanks to gain better saltwater experience. After researching and preparing for a cephalopod for the last 2 years, I finally got to set up my first tank about 6 months ago, and I acquired my first octopus last week. So far he is doing great, though a little shy (not unexpected). He is getting more and more comfortable coming out for food and just to move to a different rock or cave, so I am confident that we will both be seeing more of each other soon. I'm pretty sure he is a bimac, but as always it is very difficult to identify exact species. Still working on a name for him, but I am thinking that Houdini is a fitting name considering he was always escaping at the fish store until they put him in a plastic container with a ton of tiny holes in it for water flow. So far he has been doing great and is eating great. I am looking forward to advice and possible contributions I can make to this great community.

I can't tell enough from the photos to suggest an ID but I will say that it is not likely an O. bimaculoides. There are a few things you can look for to help with the ID.

Both a bimac and an O. hummelincki will have noticable false eye spots (ocelli) just below the eyes. They will look like concentric rings with both yellow and blue and can be quite distinct when they are surprised or aggitated. If you see these, then look at the suckers, a bimac will have an orange ring at the edge of the suckers, hummelincki will have a blueish purple ring. It is important to determine if this is or is not a bimac as the temperature requirements are quite different for a Pacific species vs the warmer water animals.

I noticed you are shooting night shots. Usually after two weeks, the natural foraging time starts to become apparent. If this little guy is only out at night, it is likely neither of the two. Also, if what little I can see of the arm to mantle ratio, is accurate, I am guessing it is another species. More, clearer photos would be helpful as well as any observations you can add.

I invite you to journal your adventure with this octopus and would like to move your thread to the journals section once you give it a name.

Thank you for the information! My little guy is very small, and it is a little bit hard to see different characteristics on him. He prefers water temperatures around reef tank levels, 76-78F. Thats what the LFS had him at, and he seems to appreciate it in my tank. Mainly, his coloring is a dark brown, though when he comes out at night he often displays a rougher and lighter color and texture. I have also noticed small traces of turquoise when he is hunting. I also have been beginning to doubt him being a bimac after observing him a little more. I will move my thread into the journal section soon. Thanks again!

I'm pretty sure that is not a bimac, one it does not really look like one, and two the water temp is way too warm for one. Bimacs are a cold water species usually kept in tanks with a temp around 65*. This is most likely an Indonesian octopus of the adopus species, but that is just my opinion based on the pictures which are not that clear.

~Dave~"Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the universe."-Albert Einstein
"Life is tough, It's even tougher if your stupid" -John Wayne
“I am always ready to learn although I do not always like being taught.” -Winston Churchilll

When you say you see traces of turquoise, are these spots all over the body? I know of two animals that will display these reflective dots, one being Indonesian and the other being Caribbean. The photos are not much help with ID I am afraid. Look at Puddles photos an see if it looks similar

I will work on better pictures today. The turquiose does appear all over, though it is usually on the head and mantle, with small splotches on the tentacles. I found another thread on here that has pictures of an octopus that looks exactly like mine: http://www.tonmo.com/community/index.php?threads/14438/

I don't think we every decided what Twizzler was. The eyes say nocturnal and she never got very big. Carol still does not know if she is brooding or gone. If the color on Carol's was red I would guess O. bocki but she never reported seeing it red and I have not seen photos in the dark brown coloration (nor have I seen a live one). The eyes and arms, however, are very similar.

Well mine is still very shy, and so far I haven't gotten very good pics. I am going to try with a better camera today, right at feeding time. Hopefully I'll get some good ones that will help with identification. So far, he seems to be a nocturnal species, and remains mainly the dark brown color, though he will have lighter brown/tan coloring when he is hunting at night. He is slowly getting more comfortable around me, and does not try to hide as much. He has settled down into one rock, which I am assuming is now his den since he has piled shells and live rock rubble around it, concealing the entrance to a small hole in the rock. I am hoping he is not a dwarf species, and will live for a while, or to an adult size (obviously depends on his species). Either way though, he is certainly a very fun friend to have in my room.

Enjoyed reading your intro! Good for taking your time before getting your octopus! Did I miss his name? He does remind me of Twizzler who I think was a dwarf, the usual that come in with rock. Not sure on species, but I think mine was an adult. Anyway best of luck with him!!! Looking forward to more pics!

I have decided to name him Houdini, which is very fitting now that he has found his way down to the sump once...I have no idea how he got through the mesh covering on the overflow, but since then I have put filter foam over both the return and the overflow, and he hasn't been ale to get down there again. Still very shy, but he is nocturnal, and comes out a lot at night to hunt and just swim around the tank. He has grown a little bit, although it's hard to tell since he is constantly hiding and changing his coloring and texture. I am working on moving him into a 29 gallon tank, instead of the 20 long he is in right now. I just got that tank setup and it is now running with some rock I moved over from his tank, as well as a small chromis damsel to keep the tank healthy and maintain a good biological filter. I will likely be making a new thread for the setup and progress of this new tank soon.

Please consider removing the damsel before placing the octopus in the new tank.

Anne, I have added Houdini to the List of our Octopuses 2012 post and I would like to move this thread to our journals. I can leave your first post in the introductions and add a link to the journal if this is satisfactory.

Welcome! Why are you considering moving him? There isn't much difference between the 20 and the 29 gallon and I think the less disruption for the octopus, the better, especially since the 29 is a new system.